The People’s Task Force and the Campaign to End the Death Penalty organized a demonstration at the Capitol as a part of the National Day Against Police Violence. This protest was held to honor those who have died by the force of police, such as Michael Brown and Eric Garner. If you haven’t yet, please watch the video from the planning meeting and our interview with Snehal Shingavi on the 11th and 12th here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csaSV... As families decorate Christmas trees in their homes, a group of protesters gathered at the Texas State Capitol Saturday afternoon to decorate the Capitol’s tree with the names of those who have been killed by police and leave gifts that will never be opened. “The protest is a way to channel people’s frustrations and anger into a productive way of demonstrating what we think is wrong with how cops behave and that they’re held completely unaccountable,” said Snehal Shingavi, an organizer of the protest and member of the People’s Task Force and assistant professor at UT Austin. He added, “We are now approaching the number of black men lynched annually during Jim Crow, same number are being killed by police officers. This has to be a call to arms.” The People’s Task Force and the Campaign to End the Death Penalty organized the protest to participate in the National Day Against Police Violence. This event was held in honor of those who died due to police brutality, such as the nationally popular cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner and the local Larry Jackson Jr. case. Protesters and supporters used the hashtags #shutitdownatx, #justice4jackson and #blacklivesmatter to share photos, videos and comments. Demographics of the activists ranged from babies to high school students, undergraduates to professors and hobbyists to professionals. Filmed / Edited by Jeffry Zavala & Grace Alfar. Music by B. Dolan “Film the Police” An Austin Indymedia Production. http://Austin.Indymedia.org